Misadventures in Camelot
by CaptainHazel
Summary: Collection of drabbles that will range from Angst to Humour and everything in between, Rating and warnings inside. Please R&R  :D chapter 8 up - 'You don't hate me'
1. It's cold outside Part 1

**Yo lovely people! I know it's been pretty dead on here recently due to my stupid school work and seeming to get ill rather a lot :S But I have finally found time to write again *yey* and should hopefully upload the next chapter of Cloudy moon quite soon. Anyways here I present to you MISADVENTURES IN CAMELOT**** been wanting to write some Merlin stuff for a while now and I fianlly did it :) Heres some snowy stuff for you since its snowing like crazy outside :)**

**Rated : K+/T**

**Angst/Hurt/comfort**

**Parings: none**

**Warnings: slight Merlin bashing, all the characters I love get hurt some way in my stories :)**

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><p><strong>It's cold outside Part 1<strong>

Merlin sighed wearily as his scuffed boots crunched through the already frost covered leaves that littered the forest floor, of course Gaius would send him to collect herbs when he had a banging headache and snow threatened to spill from the murky white sky. Coughing a little as the cold air stabbed at his throat and nose, Merlin knew deep down it was no-one's fault but his own, he had been the one to claim to Gaius and Arthur that he was fighting fit when they had asked why he looked so pale, maybe if he had told them, then he wouldn't be out here in the cold on his own.

Casting his mind back to his cosy room, and the possibility of a warm meal waiting for him, Merlin hastened his step back towards the white stone tops of Camelot what we're peaking out majestically from behind the tall, dark trees.

Clutching the basket full of herbs to his side, he began to step carefully back down the steep incline that edged the path, cursing the herbs that decided to grow in the most awkward places under his breath. Finally placing his foot down on the fairly even surface of the worn track, Merlin let a triumphant smile grace his cold face. He hadn't tripped over, which if Arthur would say if he was with him, was some kind of miracle.

Still smiling, he placed his other foot down and turned his face up towards the sky; soft snowflakes had begun to fall from the already bursting clouds and would soon cover the forest in a thick blanket, Merlin included if he didn't hurry up.

Bowing his head back to the floor, Merlin spun around, only to have his feet slide from under him as he stepped onto a hidden patch of ice, cursing loudly; he pitched headfirst down into the deep ditch that was hidden from view by some rather large shrubbery.

Bouncing as he skidded down the rocky slope, Merlin eventually stopped, and lay sprawled out on the cold, hard ground. The throbbing in his head reached a blinding level, and he groaned before sinking into blackness.

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><p><strong>Review please, next chapter should be up in a little bit :)<strong>


	2. It's cold outside Part 2

**Second part of 'It's cold outside' please review and tell what you think, the next and hopfuly the last part will be posted tommorow, then it will be a more upbeat drabble for you all :) **

**All warning and stuff the same as before :) oh yeh for got to mention this before but I don't own anything of Merlin :)**

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><p><strong>It's cold outside Part two<strong>

Arthur stared out at the darkening sky filled with sticky snow, He once again wondered where his Idiot servant was; his supper should have been brought to him hours ago and his chamber was a mess.

Not that he liked to admit it, but his life seemed to fray at the seams when Merlin wasn't around, it was like the bumbling servant was the only thing that managed to keep his life going at a normal pace and stopped it from getting out of hand.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, and breathing deeply, Arthur tried to push down the increasing sense of concern for Merlin; yes he had been angry at first when he hadn't appeared, but that had been three hours ago, and now he was worried something had happened to him.

Glancing down from the window again, Arthur decided to go and see if Gaius had seen anything of Merlin and possibly shed some light onto the boy's disappearance.

The stone was cold and not many people were walking the castle, all tucked up in their warm beds, hiding from the chill that was seeping through the very fabric of the castle. Gaius however was still awake and from the hopeful expression that died on his old face when Arthur walked in, was also worried about his ward.

"I take it you haven't seen Merlin either?" Arthur asked him with a slight quirk oh his right eyebrow. Gaius sighed and looked down at his hand before answering.

"I'm afraid not sire, I sent him out this afternoon for herbs and I hoped he was with you when he didn't return, but evidently I was wrong. Sir Gwaine came to me a few minutes ago asking for him, I believe he has gone to ask the guards if they have seen him" Gaius's words made his stomach drop, much as he detested to admit to anyone, but his manservant was his friend, possibly his best friend, and the thought that he was stuck outside in the freezing snow was worrying away at him.

After a few minutes of silence, Gwaine came rushing through the doorway almost sending Arthur flying.

"Watch where you're standing princess" Gwaine shot at the prince before facing Gaius "Gaius, the guards say they saw Merlin leave at about noon but they can't recall him coming back in, I've got a horrible feeling he's out there"

Freezing up, Arthur looked towards the knight.

"Gwaine, find Lancelot, tell him to find the rest of the knights and have them waiting by the gate in fifteen minutes, Were going to find that Idiot Merlin before he freezes to death or is eaten by god knows what" Arthur instructed forcefully before swinging from the physicians chamber and making his way to find a servant to get his horse ready.

Fifteen minutes of tense concern later, and Arthur was finally riding out of Camelot's gates flanked by Gwaine, Lancelot, Percival, Leon and Elyan. Soft snowflakes already splattered his golden hair and armour, the warm tunic he wore underneath doing nothing to keep him warm.

Worried once more for his manservant's health, he urged his horse forward hoping to reach the clearing Gaius had described in as little time as possible.

Breathing heavily, Arthur jumped down from his horse and onto the crisp snow; he was swiftly followed by the knights, all eager to find the servant boy who made their lives brighter. Holding the torch in front of him Arthur told them to look for any signs of Merlin around, before he himself bent lower to the floor and looked for something that could possibly help in the search.

After long minutes of fruitless searching, Arthur growled in frustration, none of them had found anything that might indicate to the boy's presence. A shout suddenly jerked him out of his thoughts.

"Sire! I've found something" Elyan's voice called out urgently from someway off the path. As one, Arthur and the rest of the knights converged to where the young knight had shouted from, lying near the edge of a large ditch was Merlin's basket surrounded by spilled herbs.

Arthurs breath caught, and he glanced at Gwaine sudden realisation hit them both, and sent them lurching forward to the edge of the ditch, desperately hoping to not find anything down there just in case Merlin was at the bottom.

In the flickering glow of the torches they saw nothing for a few seconds, until a skinny form caught their eyes, the Princes heart sunk and fear gripped his stomach.

"MERLIN!"

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><p><strong>Please review :) virtual cookies if you do :)<strong>


	3. It's cold outside Part 3

**Last (hopefully) part of It's cold out side, All the warnings are the same as before so no change there :) Sorry it's been a while since I uploaded last, all my course work got on top of me and refused to budge unless I agreeed to do it :) **

**Once again, I don't own Merlin *sob sob* Two more drabbles in storage in my brain both slightly humourous. Enjoy**

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><p><strong><span>It's cold outside Part 3<span> **

Heart pounding, Arthur skidded down the side of the ditch as quickly as possible; Gwaine close to his right side and equally as fearful for Merlin as the Prince was.

Reaching the flat bottom of the ditch, the men rushed forward through the thick snow towards the still form of Merlin.

His dark hair was stark against the white snow piled around him, frost clung to his pale skin and blue lips, to the outside world he looked dead, the only giveaway that life still remained in the boy's body was the soft cloud of curling condensation that left his chest after every shallow breath.

"No, no, no" Arthur muttered under his breath as he checked Merlin's pulse, it was weak and seemed to almost be getting weaker as he sat there "Give me your cloaks, we need to get him warmer, then we'll ride back to Camelot" he barked urgently.

Quickly they wrapped Merlin in the many blood red cloaks and lifted him onto Arthur's horse, jumping gracefully up behind him; Arthur urged the beast to gallop towards Camelot, not bothering to check if the knights were following him.

The journey all seemed to blur together and in no time at all Arthur found himself urgently barging through the Physicians door, Merlin limp in his arms.

Staring horrified at his ward, Gaius quickly cleared the patients' bed and instructed Arthur to lay him down.

"What's wrong with him Gaius? Surely if it was Hypothermia he should have been dead by now, he's been out there for more than six hours" Arthur asked him, his eyes burning with concern.

"Hmm, well I can't answer that myself, Merlin seems to be one of the most miraculous people I know, so let's just thank his lucky stars for it" Gaius told the prince as he busied himself with collecting blankets and potions from around the room.

Nodding awkwardly, Arthur pulled one of the rickety wooden chairs up next to the unconscious form of Merlin. The incompetent manservant already seemed to have gained some colour back to his cheeks and his pulse was beginning to beat stronger in his veins.

Gaius smiled from behind the large pile blankets in his arms; he prince would deny that Merlin woke up. Claiming that he hadn't been worried, Gaius chuckled quietly before wrapping Merlin up in the thick blankets.

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><p><strong>Review please and feed my addiction *puppy dog eyes*<strong>


	4. It's cold outside Part 4

**Finally! I've finished 'It's cold outside' now I can just get on to quick little drabbles I have some really funny ones to write up, :)** **anyways everythings still the same as before and once again I still don't own Merlin *yet***

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><p><strong>It's cold outside<strong>

Merlin groaned inwardly, he wasn't quite sure where he was, but it was blessedly warmer than where he had been before so he wasn't going complain about that, but his mouth felt weird like it had been stuffed full of cotton wool.

Groaning again, he groggily pulled open his eyes; it took a few minutes for them to focus, but when they did he squeaked in surprise as the wrinkled face of his uncle loomed into view.

Gaius rocked back with a smile before handing him a goblet of cool water. Merlin greedily gulped down the liquid, revelling in the freshness of it. Taking the goblet back from his ward, Gaius finally spoke.

"You gave us all quite a scare there, Merlin" He said, his eyebrows raised spectacularly on his forehead, unable to grasp what Gaius was implying, Merlin settled for just looking confused, causing Gaius to sigh and carry on.

"When you failed to return back here or go to Arthur chambers, well you can understand why we weren't that worried to start off with, you do seem to have a vendetta against being on time, however when it began to get dark and you still failed appear Gwaine and Arthur began to worry about you, myself included' Merlin sat silently listening to Gaius speak, don't wanting to interrupt the flow of what he was being told 'so them being the kind friends I expected them to be, they went out looking for you, and lo and behold, they appear back again sometime later with you nearly frozen to death in Arthurs arms, you are lucky you didn't die, it was only your magic that saved you. Don't you ever do that again Merlin" Gaius finished off with a stern tone not to dissimilar to his mothers when he had done something wrong.

Smiling sheepishly, Merlin shot his guardian an apologetic smile, before a goofy grin covered his face.

"Hey Gaius, does that mean I don't have to collect herbs anymore?" Merlin asked hopefully, already planning of what to do in the free time it would gives him. Gaius however smiled slyly and shook his head.

"Oh no, dear boy, it just means you will have to be accompanied whenever I send you out for herbs" Merlin stared at him like he had lost his mind.

"What! Why? That just means that I'll be stuck with one of them idiot guards blundering around, probably stepping on the herbs in the process!" Merlin whined to him, angry that he apparently couldn't be trusted.

"Don't worry about that Merlin, someone volunteered to accompany you when I require more herbs" Gaius couldn't stop a small smile from gracing his lips at that comment. Merlin not missing this narrowed his eyes.

"Gaius, tell me who volunteered…" Merlin was cut short as his bedroom door was flung open with such force that it nearly fell off its hinges, the crown prince of Camelot stood in doorway, looking around at the discarded clothes and general messiness of the room with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah Merlin, you finally decided to enter the land of the living and I see by the look on your face that Gaius told you about our arrangement" Arthur stood there smirking as Merlin took what he had said in, suddenly he understood.

"You can't be serious!" Merlin pleaded with Gaius before falling back with a groan. Arthur laughed and lent back against the door frame.

"It's good see you haven't died Merlin, but I have to say this proves me point" Arthur told him smugly. Confused once more, Merlin gazed up at him with his brows furrowed.

"Arthur what on earth are you on about?" he asked the prince slightly worried that he had somehow managed to concuss himself on the way to the physicians chamber.

"Well this whole thing proves my point that you're a girl, only a girl would nearly die from picking herbs" Arthur dodged the pillow that was launched his way, and watched it with raised eyebrows as it sailed through the door and landed with a soft thud on the floor.

"Carry on that way _Mer_lin and you'll be in the stocks the second you're fit enough!" Arthur called to him as he walked away from the small room and into the main chamber.

"Prat!" Merlin shouted at his retreating form.

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><p><strong>Reviews or alerts ? both make me very very happy :)<strong>


	5. Merlin's beard

**I'm soo tired, how can I be so tired from playing a game of scrabble and watching bridemaids? anyways heres another Misadventure in camelot for you all**

**Rating- K? (I don't really know?) **

**Parings - none?**

**Catagory - Humour**

**Warnings- utterly random sillyness**

**Summary - When Arthur become a 'true man' Merlin just can't help trying to best him at it ...**

**Take this as you will :)**

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><p><strong><span>Merlin's beard<span> **

Humming a little tune to himself, Merlin wandered slowly up the corridor leading to Arthur's chambers, he was late but he wasn't really that bothered on arriving on time; the sun was warm and the soft sent of spring was in the air.

Knocking the door open with his hip, he bustled in and placed Arthurs breakfast down on the table before ripping the thick curtains open. The bright mid morning light swam into the room causing Arthur to jerk awake.

"Merlin you idiot! You should have woken me hours ago, it's already midmorning" Arthur fumed before launching a rather harmless pillow at a smirking Merlin's back.

Once again taking up humming, Merlin began to assemble Arthurs outfit for the day, placing the required garments over his arm, he turned back around to face Arthur who had sat down to eat his breakfast.

Freezing, Merlin stared at his master in horror, his eyes wide and shocked whilst his top lip curled upwards, the whole appearance giving him the look of a squashed frog on the cobbles.

Glancing up at Merlin, Arthur froze and his hand automatically reached out for the hilt of his sword.

"Merlin, what's wrong?" He asked quietly, this seemed to break Merlin from his stupor and he regarded the king with wide eyes before he spoke.

"Right, don't panic Arthur, but you seem to have a small, hairy rodent attached to your chin" Merlin said quietly as he pointed an accusing finger at Arthurs face.

Angrily slapping his manservant's hand away, Arthur stared at him like he was a madman.

"Merlin you moron, that's my beard!" He cried outraged as the bread roll that was in his hand suddenly found its self bouncing off of Merlin's nose.

"Well why do you need a beard?" Merlin asked affronted as he rubbed his nose where the bread roll had it him.

"Because _Mer_lin, me having a beard makes me look more kingly" Arthur folded his arms and glared at his servant.

"Well if kingly is looking like a crazy beggar who has a fascination with sticking small animals to his face, you hit the look exactly" Merlin muttered not so quietly that Arthur wouldn't hear as he began to dress his prat of a master.

"_Mer_lin just because you know you could never grow a beard doesn't mean you have to be jealous of mine" Arthur said in his all knowing voice and laughed when Merlin scowled and left the room muttering to himself.

Arthur rubbed his chin thoughtfully; he had received lots of compliments on his beard but was worried that they were only said as he was king. Sighing over it all, he pushed it back and began to work on the many mounds of paperwork that seemed to double every day.

After an hour of solid work Arthur began to wonder when Merlin would turn up and get his bath water ready, the thought had only been in his head for a few seconds before his manservant stumbled through the doorway.

"Ahh Merlin late again….OH MY GOD!" Arthur cried as he stared at his servant, hoping his mind was playing tricks on him. Blinking, then reopening his eyes again the image didn't go away.

Merlin stood in the middle of the room; his goofy grin covered slightly by a rather magnificent jet black beard and moustache that ran down in waves to his belt, someone, though Arthur probably guessed as Merlin himself, had platted little sections of it and tied the ends with little beads and feathers. It would have looked at home on a wizened druid, not Merlin who was grinning evilly at his master.

"Do you like it Arthur? Something tells me it beats your little rodent chin piece, this is a real beard" Merlin said smugly eyeing his king with the air of someone who had just killed the deadliest foe with only the flick of their little finger.

"No I don't like it, and my god, how did it grow so fast?" Arthur asked Merlin, disbelief ringing in his voice.

"Umm, well let's just say Gaius has some rather interesting things stashed away in his room" He answered sheepishly before grinning again and twirling his finger into the thick black beard down his front.

Arthur looked at his friend again, once more worried for his mental state.

"Shave it off now Merlin" he said in a no nonsense tone.

"But Arthur' Merlin whined 'I like my beard, Gwen said it looked very dashing, she was the one who put the feathers in for me" Arthur groaned, of course Gwen would have helped him, why not? Breathing through his nose Arthur looked back up at his Idiot manservant.

"Fine Merlin, I'll make you a deal, If you shave off that, well whatever it is, I'll shave of my beard too" Arthur watched as Merlin pondered it over, his hand never leaving its twirling of the beard, eventually a grin broke out on his face.

"Sure" He said with a shrug of his shoulders. Arthur grinned and went to find his razor blade from its place near his bed.

"Umm Arthur…" Merlin asked awkwardly from where he stood, Arthur turned round and raised his eyebrows indicating he carry on "Can I keep the moustache?"

"NO!"

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><p><strong>Review please, pretty please, Merlin's beautiful beard comands you to do it...*puppy eyes*<strong>


	6. It's a poultry affair

**Hello you little gems :) Gosh I'm kind of tired, hyper and spouting crap all at the same time, somethings wrong with me and so of course I would end up writing a drabble that makes no sense what so ever. Any way just go the flow I'll post a real drabble tommorow, maybe a little death fic dunno yet :) **

**right here goes:**

**rated: - dunno ? could be anything lets go with K ?**

**Pairings : - anything you want XD **

**Catagory: - humour? ( can this even be classed as anything ?) **

**Once again don't own Merlin or Colin or Bradley ( though I'm working on the latter two ;D )**

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><p><strong>It's a poultry affair?<strong>

Merlin awoke to cool morning light spilling from his small window and the sound of birds tittering for the roof tops of the city, however his mind was preoccupied with the dryness of his mouth and the tickling in his throat.

Groaning, he swung from underneath his bed sheet and tried to inhale deeply through his nose, this however failed and sent him into a choking fit as no air passed through the mucus that had set up camp in his nasal regions.

"Daius?" He called out in a feeble nasal voice as he stumbled down the stairs into the main chambers.

Turning around to look at his ward Gaius couldn't hide his smirk, Merlin's dark hair was stuck down on one side of his face whilst the other seemed to defy gravity, his skin was slightly flushed and a dribble of snot was making its way towards his mouth which was hanging open in a bid to get the maximum air into his lungs.

"Merlin, you really should still be in bed" Gaius said through his smirk as he gently grabbed the boys arm and manoeuvred him back into his small bedroom.

"But der Pwat 'ill want waking" Merlin argued weakly yet not fighting his uncle as he was guided to his bed.

"Just sleep Merlin, I'll deal with Arthur" Gaius said kindly before closing the door behind him.

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><p>It seemed only seconds later that Merlin was being woken up by a whining king stood in his doorway.<p>

"'Sup Pwat?" Merlin asked sleepily, not bothering to move from the comfy position he had fallen asleep in. At Merlin's prompt Arthur began to whine again.

"Merlin it doesn't feel right having a bootlicker clean my chambers" Arthur whined to his servant slash best friend. Merlin rolled his eyes and indicated to himself then spoke.

"Wellb, I'm not gobig do clean dem am I?" Merlin told the king sarcastically.

"Well you could clean them with magic couldn't you?" Arthur asked hopefully, receiving an arched eyebrow that would rival Gaius's from Merlin.

"Ardur, you said only id we der umber attack could I buse it" Merlin told the king sternly but gave in after Arthur brought out his kicked puppy face.

Muttering to himself, Merlin cast the spell necessary and received a clap on the arm from a grateful Arthur when his eyes glowed golden.

"Thanks Merlin" Arthur cried cheerily before walking back out again, Merlin coughed then closed his eyes again.

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><p>In less than five minutes the king of Camelot was once again standing in his manservant's room, a look of anger on his face that would sent the wildest of beasts running for cover.<p>

"MERLIN CARE TO EXPLAIN WHY MY CHAMBER'S FULL OF TURKEYS DRESSED IN SILK CAPES?" Arthur bellowed at Merlin who was giggling into his pillow.

He was going to pay dearly for his bit of fun when he was better.

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><p><strong>Review for a deranged writer with lots of plot bunnies to feed?<strong>


	7. The day destiny died

**Ahhhhhh two in one day, heres some sad yet hapy stuff to bring you down from the crazyness of the last two drabbles, don't kill me it just wanted to be written:S Once again I do not own anything *sob***

**Rating :- T**

**Warning :- LOTS OF DEATH , blood, that kinda stuff**

**Pairings :- Merlin/freya**

**Catagory :- Tragedy/angst/ friendship**

**Review please!**

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><p><strong>The day destiny died<strong>

The sky was blood red; fallen bodies littered the soft floor and pools of crimson life ran down the gentle slopes.

Merlin sat huddled against a rough oak, desperately trying to keep his eyes open and the deep gash in his chest from gushing dark blood against his blue tunic.

No one would swoop down and save him, everyone was dead, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan, Leon, Lancelot and…oh god... Arthur. Merlin sobbed at his loss, all his friends cut down in the supposed glory of war.

Crying out in pain as he jerked his chest slightly, Merlin looked down at his shaking hands covered in his own blood, hands that could have moulded the shape of Albion into the greatest land the world had ever known, but destiny had been wrong, destiny was dying all alone on this battle field with no one to feel it's pain.

Closing his eyes, Merlin wished dearly that he wasn't going to die alone and unloved, the he could have died in the arms of a loved one or just peacefully in his old age surrounded by family, but no, he was forced to die a cruel death knowing he had failed his birth right, dooming Albion to destruction and bleakness.

Cursing his magic softly Merlin felt himself slip away from the world were his secret had only caused him pain and into the arms death, sweet forgiving death.

Blinking back the darkness and looking into the light that now surrounded him, Merlin carefully got back up on to his feet and gazed in wonder at the golden meadow that drifted in the breeze. Turning around his eyes connected with familiar brown eyes that he hadn't seen in years. Freya.

Smiling softly they embraced and shared a gentle kiss before she pulled him along behind a grand white tree with leaves that caught the light and sent it back in shimmering rainbows. A small crowd of people were gathered there, all dressed in white, glowing brighter than they would have done if they still breathed the air of the living.

Merlin smile grew wide as he took in the people before him, Arthur, Will, his Mother and Father, Lancelot, Gwaine and Gaius. In turn he hugged each and every one of them, leaving Arthur till last.

Arthur's golden hair was shining softly in the sun and a hint of sadness touched his face as he gazed at Merlin.

"Hello Prat" Merlin muttered softly before embracing his friend in a hug, they stood like that for a few minutes before breaking apart, Arthur finally spoke.

"I'm so sorry Merlin, I should never have let you come with us to battle, don't know what I was thinking" Arthur looked heartbroken that he had caused the death of his best friend, and Merlin open his mouth to comfort him but was beaten to it Gwaine.

"Oh stop feeling guilty Princess, Merlin's forgiven you already, just look at his idiotic face. Now let's get to business, I'm parched do you suppose there's a tavern nearby?" Merlin's laughter bubbled up and it escaped in a torrent.

Death was just another journey, one that he wouldn't have to partake on alone.


	8. You don't hate me?

**Helloo, this was written for DeaththeKidKat who suggested:**

**"one where Merlin's dying and he**  
><strong>tells Arthur about his magic, and Arthur accepts it and is all '' cuz his<strong>  
><strong>friend is dying but Merlin dies happy."<strong>

**Rating :- T**

**Warning :- LOTS OF DEATH , blood, that kinda stuff**

**Pairings :- none? ( unless you are wearing goggles)  
><strong>

**Catagory :- Tragedy/angst/ friendship**

**Review please!**

**Hope you like it :)**

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><p><strong><span>You don't hate me?<span>  
><strong>

Merlin cursed Arthur as he backed against the tree, his short sword desperately pushing back the gleaming blade of the dirty bandit in front of him.

If only Arthur had been content with just training the knights instead of insisting the just he and Merlin went for a short hunting trip, then maybe they would not have been attacked by bandits when they were too far away from Camelot for help to be called.

Squeaking in fear as the ugly bandit before him quickly switched his stance and swung low, aiming for Merlin's abdomen, a quick spell slipped from the warlock's mouth sending the man barrelling backwards and hitting the ground with a sickening thud.

Wincing Merlin turned round to find Arthur battling what looked like the leader of the motley, yet deadly crew of bandits, and before he could watch any longer, a sharp pain slid down his arm, causing him to cry out. A scrawny man with stinking teeth was leering at him, a small dagger covered in Merlin's blood.

Staring at Arthur, Merlin's shout caught in his throat, his cry had distracted the prince from his fighting and he watched as his friend and master was suddenly screaming in agony as a sharp blade plunged through his chest, causing him to fall to the ground with a soft thump.

Suddenly magic was exploding from Merlin, sending the men flying back from the clearing and into the trees, each one hitting the ground with a wet crunch. Panic closing in, Merlin rushed forward to the side of Arthur.

Deep red blood was gushing from his wound and onto his tunic, the sight making Merlin want to be sick.

"Merlin…you…you used magic" Arthur managed to choke quietly, his skin was pale and his eyes filled with hurt.

"Shut up Arthur" Merlin told the prince forcefully before closing his eyes and placing his hand above the deep wound on his friend's chest. Arthur muttered Merlin's name, terror stark in his voice. Merlin wanted to cry, Arthur was terrified of him, he nearly hesitated in what he was about to do, he didn't want to die hated.

"Forgive me Arthur" Merlin sobbed before throwing his head back and shouting the old religion to the clear blue sky.

"**Ætbregdan þes feorhwund onuppan min bancofa!" **Merlin gasped as his magic left him in one feral swoop, only to come crashing back, but this time bringing immense pain with it. Screaming out in shock, he jerked back from the now healed prince and curled in upon himself. He had taken the princes wound, knowing full well the consequences of his actions, a life for a life.

Through the pain from Arthurs wound now on his chest and the aching of his arm, Merlin dimly felt himself being turned over and cradled against something warm and strong. It took a while before his senses cleared enough for him to hear the soft thrumming of Arthur voice near his head. Groaning weakly, he called out his name.

"Ar-thur? I'm so sorry, please forgive me" Merlin stumbled over his words before finishing in a coughing fit that resulted in his blood being splattered on his prince and the dusty ground.

"Merlin..." Arthur sounded angry and a sob that had nothing to do with pain escaped Merlin's throat, at least he didn't have to die in front of the crowded courtyard of Camelot, in front of his friends.

"Merlin, why didn't you tell me you had magic? And why did you just take my wound, it was mine to carry not yours" Arthur told the boy in his arms softly, causing Merlin's foggy brain to become thoroughly confused.

"You…don't hate me?" Merlin breathed quietly, his vision already turning darker around the edges. Arthur pulled him closer before speaking.

"Of course not you idiot, as if I could hate you, even if you do have magic, it doesn't change anything" Merlin smiled sleepily up his prince before drifting slowly into the blackness surrounding him, content with his death.

Arthur unaware that the only true friend he had ever possessed had ceased to live and now lay cold in his arms began to move only to stop when he caught sight of the sweet smile on Merlin's still face and the glazed over eyes that reflected the setting sun in them.

Something died inside of Arthur at that moment and the surrounding animals cowered away from the anguished cries coming from the prince. The only distinguishable words from amid his howls echoed around the clearing.

"I've seen Camelot's future Merlin, and you should have been in it"

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><p><strong>Review ?<strong>


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